In this day and age of increased costs, the need for additional space at the lowest cost possible is a prime objective of most planners, architects and others interested in building utilization. One of the most efficient ways to gain additional space at minimal cost is to encourage and specify multiple use of buildings.
Nowhere has this need for adequately designed, multiple use building facilities been more encouraged or needed than in church, synagogue or auditorium construction.
It should also be noted that many churchmen are striving for ways to generate renewed interest in church activities, not the least of which is increased attendance. Once way which has proven effective is the ability to be flexible in the interior arrangement of the church to get away from the rigid and formal church interior to something more informal for the younger people while still permitting rearrangement in the more traditional way for the older church members.
Until the advent of the present invention, there have been only a few means available to design and construct a church or synagogue in which customary pews were available during the services, but which could also be conveniently moved to create a more flexible interior or stored away completely in an out of the way location so that the interior space of the building could be used for other purposes. Until now, the best available space was the use of folding chairs or movable benches. None of these available devices add to the interior design or give the effect that is achieved in a church building by the addition of traditional pews. The present day devices all have the disadvantage of requiring large numbers of people to assist in setting up and breaking down the seats.
According to the present invention, it is now possible to offer a better alternative to achieve a traditional interior design of a house of worship when the building is to be so used, yet, at the same time, provide the flexibility to be easily moved and stored away to permit the same interior space to be used for other functions.
It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a flexible alternative to interior church design which will permit maximum utilization of available space and thereby save building costs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable pew which provides traditional pew construction and appearance, while at the same time providing an easily storable compact unit, easy to ship.
A still further object is to provide a simple construction for the portable pew which can easily be folded up and moved and then replaced again.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the pew to follow.